DISTED College
{{Short description|Private college in Penang, Malaysia}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox company
| name = DISTED College
| image = Disted College Campus, George Town, Penang.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| image_caption = Main campus at Macalister Road, George Town
| type = Private
| founded = 1987
| hq_location = Macalister Road{{coord|5|25|24|N|100|18|27|E|region:MY|display=inline,title}}
| hq_location_country = Penang, Malaysia
| key_people = Vikneswaran Nair (President)
| products = Pre-U Programmes (A-Level, SACEi, Foundation in Arts)
Diploma Programmes
Degree Programmes by Staffordshire University, UK and HELP University
| parent = Bonanza Educare Sdn Bhd
| website = www.disted.edu.my
}}
DISTED College is a private college within George Town, the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang. It was established in 1987 as the first Penang-based private tertiary institution.{{Cite journal|date=2012|title=25 Years' Passion in Educating Minds|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/mpr/publications/story-of-disted/story-of-disted-12-12-05.pdf|journal=DISTED College|access-date=21 July 2018|archive-date=29 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329114256/http://www.disted.edu.my/mpr/publications/story-of-disted/story-of-disted-12-12-05.pdf|url-status=dead}} The college provides various pre-university, diploma and degree courses, some of which are twinned with foreign universities.{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/british-university-with-global-presence/|title=British university with global presence {{!}} {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
The DISTED Heritage campus is on Macalister Road in close vicinity to downtown George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/contact-us/contact-info/|title=Contact Info & Enquiries {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}} The college is wholly owned by Wawasan Open University.{{Cite news|url=http://www.wou.edu.my/news-events-1/2012/3/9/marriage-between-wou-and-disted|title='Marriage' between WOU and DISTED|work=Home|access-date=2018-07-21|language=en-US}}
History
DISTED College was the brainchild of three educationists - Gajaraj Dhanarajan, Hulman Sinaga and Sharom Ahmat - who in 1985 formed DISTED Services Sdn Bhd, a private limited company. The name DISTED is the acronym for Distance Education, which suited the original intention of the trio - to provide adults an alternate route to tertiary education; it was felt that, compared to high school leavers, adults had more limited prospects of obtaining higher education.
However, due to the high costs of tertiary courses abroad, the trio soon had to alter their direction to cater to the youth. By 1987, contracts were signed with the British Columbia Open University, TAFE South Australia, Murdoch University and the Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education to provide off-campus courses to Penangites. Within the same year, DISTED College was registered with Malaysia's Ministry of Higher Education.
DISTED took in its first cohort of students in 1988. At the time, it was housed inside a bungalow at Hargreaves Road in George Town. The lack of space forced the college to relocate to RECSAM within the suburb of Gelugor, and then to the St. Joseph's Novitiate at Kelawei Road (now part of Gurney Paragon).
In 1995, DISTED College finally moved into its current premises at Macalister Road, occupying a mansion formerly owned by a prominent 19th century tycoon, Yeap Chor Ee. The campus was expanded in 1997. DISTED College joined the Bonanza Educare group of schools and learning centres by Bonanza Venture Holdings (BVH) in 2023.
Academic programmes
= Pre-university =
- GCE A-Level (provided by Cambridge Assessment International Education){{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/pre-university/cambridge-a-level/|title=Cambridge A-Level {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- South Australian Certificate of Education{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/pre-university/sace-international/|title=South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE International) {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- Foundation in Arts
= Diploma =
- Diploma in Accounting{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/business/diploma-accounting/|title=Diploma in Accounting {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- Diploma in Business Information Technology{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/computer-science-engineering/diploma-business-it/|title=Diploma in Business Information Technology {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- Diploma in Business Studies{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/business/diploma-business-studies/|title=Diploma in Business Studies {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- Diploma in Computer Science{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/computer-science-engineering/diploma-computer-science/|title=Diploma in Computer Science {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- Diploma in Creative Multimedia Production{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/computer-science-engineering/diploma-creative-multimedia/|title=Diploma in Creative Multimedia Production {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/computer-science-engineering/electrical-electronic-engineering/|title=Diploma in Electrical & Electronic Engineering {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- Diploma in Food and Beverage Management{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/hospitality/diploma-food-beverage-mgt/|title=Diploma in Food and Beverage Management {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- Diploma in Hotel Management{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/hospitality/diploma-hotel-mgt/|title=Diploma in Hotel Management {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
== Transfer programmes ==
Students who have graduated with a diploma from DISTED College will have the option of undergoing any one of the transfer programmes with foreign universities.
- Japan{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/japan-transfer-programme/|title=Japan Transfer Programme {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721102947/http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/japan-transfer-programme/|archive-date=21 July 2018|url-status=dead}}
- Diploma in Computer Science
- Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Taiwan
- I-Shou University{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/taiwan-transfer-programme/|title=Taiwan Transfer Programme {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- Diploma in Business Studies
- Diploma in Creative Multimedia Production
- Diploma in Hotel Management
- United Kingdom{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/uk-transfer-programme/|title=UK Transfer Programme {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- University of Gloucestershire
- Diploma in Business Studies + Business and Technology Education Council Higher National Diploma
- Diploma in Computer Science + Business and Technology Education Council Higher National Diploma
- Diploma in Business Information Technology + Business and Technology Education Council Higher National Diploma
- Diploma in Creative Multimedia Production + Business and Technology Education Council Higher National Diploma
- Birmingham City University
- Diploma in Business Studies + Business and Technology Education Council Higher National Diploma
- Diploma in Accounting + Business and Technology Education Council Higher National Diploma
- Middlesex University
- Diploma in Hospitality Business Management + Business and Technology Education Council Higher National Diploma
- Diploma in Computer Science + Business and Technology Education Council Higher National Diploma
- Diploma in Business Information Technology + Business and Technology Education Council Higher National Diploma
- Solent University
- Diploma in Creative Multimedia Production + Business and Technology Education Council Higher National Diploma
= Degrees =
- HELP University
- Psychology{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/psychology/ba-psychology/|title=Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- Staffordshire University
- Accounting & Finance{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/business/su-degrees/ba-accounting-finance/|title=BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- International Business Management{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/business/su-degrees/ba-international-business-mgt/|title=BA (Hons) International Business Management {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- Marketing Management{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/business/su-degrees/ba-marketing-management/|title=BA (Hons) Marketing Management {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
= Other certificates =
Other courses offered by DISTED include:
- Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/programmes/business/acca/|title=Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}
- Pearson Test of English Academic
Ratings
DISTED College was awarded a five-star rating in the Malaysian Quality Evaluation System (MyQUEST) 2014/2015, which was conducted by Malaysia's Ministry of Higher Education.{{Cite web|url=http://www.disted.edu.my/disted-maintains-5-star-recognition/|title=DISTED maintains excellence in education with 5-star recognition {{!}} {{!}} DISTED College|website=www.disted.edu.my|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-21}}